A/N: Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy! Hart and I both appreciate the fantastic reviews that we have recieved, so thank you!

It had been almost a week since the 'I love you' fiasco and Brennan was growing increasingly worried about Booth. He was becoming more and more distant, almost to the point where they barely talked.

Yes, he still helped her around the apartment seeing that her mobility was limited, and he changed her bandages regularly, made sure she took all of her pills but it was always done in silence.

She thought that maybe he was mad at her, although she couldn't figure out what for.

Maybe things will get better when Parker gets here. She mused to herself.

Booth had left to get him a few minutes ago and she was instantly struck by how alone she felt without him. They had only been dating a short while but with everything that happened and now Booth living with her, she felt his presence everywhere. It was amazing how empty the apartment seemed when he wasn't around, how vulnerable she felt. Booth made it feel safe.

After half an hour, and having fought off the urge to call him several times, she heard chatter in the hallway and knew they had arrived. Brennan was practically grinning at the door before it even opened, she was so excited. She'd formed a surprising bond with Parker, one that was elevated after the 'incident.'

It seemed peculiar to her that she referred to it as 'the incident' yet she couldn't think of another word to described what had happened, so she used it and tried not to think too much about what it meant.

The door swung open and Parker ran towards her, his blonde curls bouncing and whipping through the air. He skidded his new Superman sneakers to a stop right in front of her.

"Hi Dr.Bones!" He said, rocking back and forth on his feet as if his body just couldn't stop moving.

"Hi Parker." She replied warmly. "Where's my hug?"

Parker's face turned serious.

"Daddy says I can't give you a hug 'cause the bad guys hurt you." He said sadly.

Brennan flicked a glance at Booth who wore a pained expression but remained silent.

"Of course you can hug me." She replied, smiling at the small boy. "You just have to be gentle, okay?"

Parker nodded and moved towards her with a grin. She quickly enveloped him into a hug, and in a motherly gesture she'd only recently become accustomed to, she placed a kiss on top of his head. She blinked back tears when his small arms maintained their tight hold even after several moments. Looking up at Booth she noticed that he was adverting his eyes and staring elsewhere in the apartment, fidgeting with his keys and shifting on his feet. She frowned slightly in confusion, why didn't he want to look at them?

Finally Parker pulled away.

"Can we watch a movie, Dr. Bones?"

"Sure." She replied. "That sounds like a great idea."

"Umm…actually I have to go to work." Booth said, smiling apologetically at them both. "Travis called."

"Oh right." She said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. "When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure. Are you two going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine, right Parker?" She said, turning to him.

"Sure." Parker replied, quietly, obviously upset that his father was leaving.

"Okay." Booth hesitated, as if debating whether or not to come kiss her goodbye. Brennan knew what his ultimate choice would be, and was disappointed, but not surprised when he turned, headed out the door.

She looked down at the sad little boy and bit her lip, wondering what she could do.

She brightened as an idea hit her.

"How about that movie bub?" She used the nickname Booth always used when trying to cheer his son up, hoping it would help. "We could get our pajamas on and order a pizza and watch some movies, what do you think?"

"Like a sleepover?" Parker said, perking up.

"Yeah. Exactly like a sleepover." She replied, immediately relieved.

"Okay!" Parker said, taking off towards 'his room.' After she and Booth had started dating, she made up the guest room for Parker, she even brought in a few toys and clothes to make him feel more comfortable.

When he disappeared down the hall she rose stiffly from the couch and headed over to the door, making sure that all the locks were secure.

A shiver went through her body when her fingers touched the cold metal locks and she recalled for the thousandth time 'the incident' in Booth's apartment. Ever since then, she had made sure to keep her doors locked at all times, even though she knew it wouldn't make much difference if someone decided to start shooting at her. She had also made a habit of shutting all the windows and blinds even as her heart pounded wildly while doing so.

It was irrational, she knew, but it made her feel safe, something she missed desperately. She slowly turned and walked to her bedroom to get her pajamas.

Pulling them out of her drawer, she gingerly began undoing the buttons on her shirt and pulled it off. Usually Booth helped her with this, but she was glad she didn't have help tonight. She wanted to see what she could do for herself, and when Booth was around it was next to impossible. She felt like an invalid and she was sick of it.

Slowly slipped the pyjama top over her head, satisfied to have completed one task entirely on her own. The bottoms, on the other hand, were far more difficult since she had trouble bending over.

"Dr. Bones?" Parker called, signalling he was already done and looking for her.

"Be right there." She replied, trying to move faster. "Pick out a movie, okay?"

"Okay." He said and she heard him head to the living room.

Brennan picked up the pants and tried lifting her left leg, but could not get it high enough to fit into the pants. She tried until she was almost crying out from the pain before she threw them down in frustration and blinked back the angry tears stood in her eyes.

She couldn't even put pajamas on by herself, how long was it going to take until she could be herself again, back in the lab where she belonged? In the field, in the interrogation room. Back to taking care of herself like she knew she could.

The pain was actually becoming worse, not better. For a few days when she had gotten out of the hospital she started doing things like she normally did and now she was paying for that foolish mistake.

Her chest hurt, to the point where it was difficult to take a deep breath. And her body ached all over. She hadn't told Booth yet, she didn't want him to worry. Besides the doctor had gone through the process with her and said that it would be like this, but she still couldn't help but think that it would take forever for her body to heal. A forever she didn't have, or didn't want to wait for.

Finally, after a few calming breaths, she went to the closet and searched for a nightgown.

This will have to do. She thought to herself. She slowly pulled off the pajama top and slipped the nightgown on before trudging out to the living room, already exhausted.

"Ready?" She asked Parker, who was curled up on the couch with his pillow and blanket.

"Yep." He replied. "I put in Beauty and the Beast 'cause I know you like it Dr. Bones."

"Thanks Parker." She replied, struck by his thoughtfulness. She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and covered them both as they settled in to watch the movie.

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Booth strode into the FBI building, his footsteps echoing in the nearly empty halls. It was nearly seven after all.

He immediately went to his office, only to find it empty and feel himself getting frustrated quickly. He wandered the Bullpen for a moment before finally hearing Travis's laugh in the other direction. He headed to the break room and opened the door.

Travis turned toward the door, he and four other agents who were working a particularly tough serial killer case were supposed to be the only ones in the building.

"Seeley?" Travis said, noting the haggard expression and dark circles under Booth's eyes looked ten times worse under the blinking florescent lights.

"What are you doing here?"

"What's going on with the case?" Booth replied, bypassing the pleasantries and ignoring the other agents.

"Um, let's go talk in my office, ok?" He drained his coffee cup and lead Booth away from the other men who were looking on curiously.

Once in his office, Travis stood back and took a better look at Booth. He didn't like what he saw. His friend was pale and his face was drawn with exhaustion. He sat slightly hunched over as if the weight of the world was upon him. But this Travis expected. The twitch he didn't.

It was almost undetectable, just a slight twitch of his forefinger but it was still enough to give Travis concern. He had spent long enough working on drug related cases with the DEA to recognize the early symptoms of withdrawal.

"What can I do for you Seeley-boy?" He asked cheerfully, hoping that the non-aggressive approach would encourage his friend to talk.

"What's going on with the case?" Booth asked again, stubbornly refusing to fall for Travis's tricks.

"Well…we are investigating the best that we can, but so far the guy has been tricky." Travis stated. "No other incidents, no witnesses to provide an id. We know you wounded him, but he hasn't been to the hospital yet and we are checking passengers at the airport, but its pretty useless since we don't know what he looks like. Or even if it's a he."

Booth gripped the edge of the chair. "So now what? We just go on and pretend like nothing ever happened?" His voice rose without his realizing it as he lost another bit of his carefully crafted control.

"Seeley, lad, you need to calm down." Travis said, perching himself on the edge of his desk. "We'll figure this out I promise, k?"

Booth took a deep breath, nodded and stood up. "Fine." He said dully.

"Right, go home and take care of that lovely lass of yours." Travis said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "And your boy too."

Booth nodded and exited the office without another word.

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They had finished the movie and were waiting for the pizza to arrive before they started another. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was nine-thirty already. Booth had been gone for over two hours and she was beginning to feel more than 'a little' worried.

He's fine. She thought to herself. He's with Travis.

She felt better knowing that Booth was in the company of the tall, Irish man who had so bluntly questioned her in the hospital. She could tell he was a good friend.

The doorbell rang and as she got up to get the pizza, she realized she was only wearing a nightgown. Her cheeks coloured as she moved towards the door, she hoped the pizza guy was understanding. Or better yet, that he was a girl.

Upon opening the door, she found herself being examined by the pimple-faced pizza boy while she hastily signed the credit slip and took the food. She brought the pizza back to the couch where Parker was waiting and realized that it would be better to have plates, but was too tired to go into the kitchen and get out the stepladder so she could get to them.

"Let's just eat with our hands, okay bud?"

"Okay Dr. Bones." Parker replied, picking up a piece of pizza and taking a big bite, cheese strings hanging from his chin as he chewed. They sat for a few minutes eating, when suddenly Parker put his pizza down and turned toward her.

"Dr. Bones?"

"Yes?"

"Are the bad men coming back?" He said quietly.

She was taken aback by his question. She knew he was having panic attacks as well as nightmares but she thought he already knew the answer to this.

She took a deep breath and returned the serious look he was giving her, trying to think of the best thing to say to calm his fears. She decided that the truth, 'I don't know, I hope not', would probably not be the best thing for him to hear. So she did the one thing she swore she would never do to a child. She lied.

"No they aren't. Never. She said, gesturing for him to move closer. He snuggled into her side and she gently stroked his curls.

"But then why is Daddy sad?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, though she knew exactly what he meant, but she had hoped Parker wouldn't be able to see it.

"Daddy doesn't make jokes with me anymore and he doesn't smile hardly at all." Parker said simply. "I thought it was 'cause the bad men was coming back. I don't want them to come back, Dr.Bones." He said, burying his head into her side.

An overwhelming need to protect him washed over her and she hugged him tighter still, even though doing so caused her to wince. She pushed down the anthropological commentary on 'motherly instinct' in her head and focused on soothing the scared little boy.

"Oh bud, they won't come back, I promise. And your dad is working hard to make sure that they go to jail, okay? He's just sad because of what happened and he's trying to make it better. He'll be okay, we'll make him happy okay?"

"Okay!" Parker said, getting excited. "How 'bout I colour him a picture?"

"That's a great idea." She replied. "Why don't you go get the paper and crayons and bring them back out here okay?"

Parker nodded and scampered off to the room.

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He had been driving for hours, unsure of the direction he was going. Glancing at the clock and noticing that it was 8:41 pm, he began to feel a surge of guilt in his chest. He should have been home hours ago but he just couldn't.

He couldn't walk in there and face her, not able to give her the answers they both needed. He was a failure, for once unable to do his job properly. And Parker. When he saw his son hug Temperance earlier, he was struck by the fact that everything was different.

Every hug, every touch was weighted with sorrow and concern. It was easier to avoid those things entirely than to constantly feel the pain of that day over and over.

As he drove down an unnamed country road, he suddenly pulled off to the side and into a grassy field. Killing the engine, he gripped the steering wheel and began to scream.

He screamed and screamed until his voice turned hoarse and the hot tears falling down his face had soaked the edge of his t-shirt. His heart pounded rapidly as the images played over and over in his mind. Assaulting him. Even when he closed his eyes he couldn't escape.

The gunfire starting. Him telling them to get down. Crawling across the floor to the bedroom to retrieve his gun, terrified the entire time that one of them would get hurt, or worse. Parker standing in the line of fire. Temperance holding her chest tightly. And the blood.

There was always blood, back then and now. It was the one thing that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Her eyes opened when she heard the doorknob rattling and the sound of keys clanging against themselves. Slowly sitting up, she tried not to jostle Parker, whose head was resting on her lap. She glanced at the time and saw that it was 12:03 am. He had been gone for over five hours and he hadn't called once. She had dialled his cell several times and even called FBI Headquarters, but they had said he left hours ago.

The door opened and he walked in, heading straight for the couch.

"Hi.." He said quietly.

"Where were you?" She said coldly.

He winced, he knew she'd be upset with him. He'd actually been hoping she'd be sleeping when he arrived so he wouldn't have to explain his odd disappearance. But he knew better, she'd been sleeping very lightly of late.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the case. I was going over some things with Travis."

She was struck by how easily he had lied to her and she felt herself growing angry.

"Right." She replied stiffly. "Parker was waiting up for you. He drew all of those pictures."

He looked over and saw that the coffee table was littered with crayon drawings, most of them of three people walking hand in hand.

"He was drawing them so you wouldn't be sad anymore." She stated in the same matt-of-fact tone she used when studying bones, and obviously avoiding his eyes.

"Temperance…" he began.

"Save it." She replied harshly. "I'm not the one who needs an apology from you right now."

He looked down at his son, the tear tracks on his face visible, and he knew she was right.

"Wait here." He whispered to her as he picked up Parker and took down to the guest bedroom.

After ensuring that Parker was asleep, Booth headed back to the couch where Brennan was waiting.

"Look Bones…" He began

She stopped him with a wave of her hand and slowly struggled to get up from the couch. Booth rushed across the room to help her, but froze at the piercing glare she sent him.

"Stop Booth. I managed by myself all evening.' She snapped, brushing past him, just close enough so her silky nightgown brushed his hand as she went by.

He turned and immediately followed her, his own anger flaring at her cool attitude. He'd made a mistake, yes, and he probably on some level knew he was wrong. But more accessible, closer to the surface, all he felt was exhausted and irritated.

He shut the bedroom door and turned to her.

"What's you're problem Bones?" He nearly shouted, hastily taking off his jacket and tossing it to the floor.

Brennan whirled around and glared at him.

He's lucky this bed is between us or I'd…

"My problem? My problem Booth is that you were gone for five hours and I had no idea where you were! I was calling you and calling you, and you never picked up. Don't give me that crap about being at your office, because I called there too. I thought something had happened to you." She began pacing, she felt like all her pent up hostility at the whole situation they were n finally had a vent and she intended to use it to the fullest.

"My problem is that I can't even put on a stupid pair of pajama bottoms without help. I can't take a shower, I can't get dishes from the cabinet without a chair or stool. I…I can't even go to the lab and do my job! My problem is that you won't kiss me Booth." She said finally, throwing her hands in the air and turning the full brunt of her tirade toward him.

Booth blinked and took a step back. "What?"

Brennan stood open-mouthed for a moment, as surprised as Booth that the real reason for her irritation had come out. But she recovered quickly.

"Dammit Booth I'm not made of crystal. I'm not going to break!"

She suddenly moved around the bed toward him, stopping only feet in front of him.

"Kiss me Booth. Kiss me like you're not afraid I'll break." She demanded, sticking her chin out defiantly.

Booth tilted his head, eyes resting longingly on her lips before turning away.

Brennan had to close her eyes to keep from hitting him, wishing it were scientifically possible to knock sense into someone.

"If you won't do it I'll find someone who will." She stated calmly.

Booth's head snapped back to her. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She turned and began pacing, a thoughtful look on her face. "Yeah, Zack has always had a crush on me, I'm sure he'd do it."

"And you think the Baby Squint can kiss better than me?"

"Definitely not." The way she said it as a statement of fact and not flattery made his chest swell with pride, the fist time it hadn't felt weighted down in weeks.

"But if you're not willing to kiss me the way I want and need to be kissed, then I'm sure Zack would be more than willing. Maybe even…"

In two steps he was to her, hands on either side of her face as he crushed her lips with his.